3rd Mar 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=217 lockdown_exit

Johnson & Johnson collaborates with Merck to manufacture more COVID-19 vaccine faster

CIDRAP Today President Joe Biden announced the partnership of two pharmaceutical giantsJohnson Johnson and Merckwho will work together to increase the supply of Johnson Johnsons singledose COVID19 vaccine which received emergency use authorization EUA by the Food and Drug Administration FDA this past weekend. This is the type of collaboration we saw during World War II Biden said today during a formal announcement of the partnership. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/03/covid-vaccine-maker-pact-biden-vows-wide-vaccine-access-may 2nd Mar 2021

Johnson & Johnson collaborates with Merck to manufacture more COVID-19 vaccine faster

Sky News The US will have enough COVID vaccines for all adults by the end of May Joe Biden has said. But in a speech at the White House on Tuesday the US president admitted the country is unlikely to get back to normal until this time next year. Mr Biden also directed states to make sure all teachers and school workers receive at least one dose by the end of March. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-us-aims-to-have-enough-vaccines-for-all-adults-by-end-of-may-biden-says-12234244 3rd Mar 2021

The U.S. might be only a few weeks away from getting a fourth authorized coronavirus vaccine

Motley Fool The U.S. might be only a few weeks away from getting a fourth authorized coronavirus vaccine. That at least is the opinion of Novavax CEO Stanley Erck. On Monday Erck said that his companys NVXCoV2373 vaccine candidate could be granted emergency use authorization EUA approval by the Food and Drug Administration FDA. Thats conditional on the results of a phase 3 clinical trial involving 15000 people in the U.K. the analysis of which should be completed in a matter of weeks. https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/03/01/novavax-ceo-says-its-coronavirus-vaccine-could-win/ 2nd Mar 2021

What to do about opening schools - vaccinate teachers

The Washington Post President Biden said Tuesday that he would use federal authority to offer coronavirus vaccinations to K12 teachers and child care workers with the aim of getting at least the first shot administered to all educators by the end of March. The goal is to remove one of the major barriers to reopening schools an urgent step for parents and children alike but one that has been enormously controversial and complicated. Teachers who have resisted going back in many communities have said that they would be much more willing to return to school buildings if they are vaccinated first. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/biden-teacher-vaccine-march-covid/2021/03/02/b4bdec9e-7ba3-11eb-a976-c028a4215c78_story.html 2nd Mar 2021

What to do about opening schools - vaccinate teachers

BBC News Regular testing of secondary pupils will be a gamechanger in giving confidence that schools are safe a government science adviser has said. Prof Calum Semple told the BBC better ventilation and face masks would also contribute to a safe reopening in England from 8 March. Rates of infection in schools had been quite low he said. But a school leaders union warned the testing demands may mean a staggered return for many. Secondary pupils in England will be asked to take a rapid lateral flow test twice a week to help identify anyone who might be infectious. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56250995 2nd Mar 2021

What to do about opening schools - vaccinate teachers

Sky News Italys government has ordered the closure of all schools in regions hardest hit by the coronavirus amid rising fears over new variants of the disease. Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to see COVID19 on a large scale in February 2020 and it has registered nearly three million confirmed cases since then. It is now seeing around 15000 new cases per day and the trend is rising putting the health system under strain. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-italy-closes-schools-in-red-zone-coronavirus-areas-amid-concerning-growth-in-new-variants-12234081 2nd Mar 2021

Encouraging hope - restarting tourism

Daily Record A system of vaccine passports could ultimately allow the return of international travel MSPs have been told while some countries are already requiring vaccination green passes for entertainment venues. Professor Devi Sridhar of Edinburgh University spoke to the Scottish Parliaments Health Committee about international travel regulations during the pandemic. The Scottish Government adviser said that if coronavirus vaccines significantly reduced transmission of the disease as initial evidence suggested electronic vaccine passports could help to restart international tourism. She said EU countries were already developing plans for a digital green pass with countries like Spain and Greece keen to welcome visitors again. Prof Sridhar said I think if these vaccines stop transmission which they look like they might we will reach a stage of vaccine passports. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/vaccine-passports-scotland-pubs-coronavirus-23591795 2nd Mar 2021

Lifting COVID-19 restrictions too soon?

Reuters Austria plans to let cafe and restaurant terraces reopen this month in a further loosening of its coronavirus lockdown that will get an early start in a small Alpine province because of its lower infection rate the government said on Monday. Austria first loosened its third coronavirus lockdown three weeks ago despite stubbornly high infections arguing that the economic social and psychological effect of keeping all of its restrictions in place would have been too great. Nonessential shops schools hairdressers and museums are now open but restaurants bars hotels and theatres are not. Ski lifts have been open since Christmas Eve but with hotels closed they have almost only been used by locals and daytrippers. A nighttime curfew has replaced allday restrictions on movement. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-austria/austria-plans-to-let-cafe-and-restaurant-terraces-reopen-this-month-idUSL5N2KZ6TA 2nd Mar 2021

Lifting COVID-19 restrictions too soon?

The Associated Press Texas is lifting its mask mandate Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday making it the largest state to no longer require one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The announcement in Texas where the virus has killed more than 43000 people rattled doctors and big city leaders who said they are now bracing for another deadly resurgence. One hospital executive in Houston said he told his staff they would need more personnel and ventilators. Federal health officials this week urgently warned states to not let their guard down warning that the pandemic is far from over. https://apnews.com/article/texas-lifts-covid-19-mask-mandate-ed7cd1b065a1afd71175f255fb5148aa 2nd Mar 2021

Two-dose vaccines - what are the pros and cons

Sky News Now we have the first robust data on the real world effectiveness of these vaccines. And it shows that both the PfizerBioNTech and OxfordAstraZeneca vaccines are highly effective in reducing COVID19 infections among older people aged 70 and over. That means a reduction in hospital admissions and that means a reduction in the number of people dying of coronavirus. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-governments-strategy-of-delaying-second-coronavirus-vaccine-dose-further-vindicated-12233131 2nd Mar 2021

Two-dose vaccines - what are the pros and cons

NPR Public health officials say its important to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible to reduce the risk posed by new coronavirus variants. One strategy to stretch existing supplies albeit with huge logistical challenges would be to give just one dose of the vaccine to people who have recovered from COVID19. About half a dozen small studies all consistent with one another but as yet unpublished suggest this strategy could work. Dr. Mohammad Sajadi at the University of Maryland medical schools Institute of Human Virology studied health care workers who were just getting their first of two vaccine shots. His research team homed in on those who had previously been diagnosed with COVID19. We saw a much faster response and a much higher response he says based on the protective antibodies his team measured in the blood. The infection served the same priming role as an initial dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine would have so the first shot they got was in effect a booster. It amplified and solidified immunity to COVID19. The study was published Monday in JAMA the journal of the American Medical Association. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/03/01/972563440/could-a-single-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-after-illness-stretch-the-supply 2nd Mar 2021

Two-dose vaccines - what are the pros and cons

Forbes Some people have reported experiencing more side effects when getting their second doses of the Moderna or PfizerBioNTech Covid19 vaccine compared to when they got their first doses. For example the COVID Symptom Study website states that after effects are more common the second time around with around one in five who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine logging at least one systemic effect. Indeed a December 31 2020 publication in the New England Journal of Medicine had indicated that in the Phase 3 clinical trial of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine side effects that involved more than just the injection site were reported more often after dose 2 than dose 1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/03/02/why-second-doses-of-covid-19-coronavirus-vaccines-may-have-more-side-effects/ 2nd Mar 2021

Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines may offer high efficacy in elderly

CIDRAP Both the PfizerBioNTech and AstraZenecaOxford University COVID19 vaccines significantly reduce severe illness hospitalization and death in older adults and offer protection against the B117 variant suggests a realworld observational nonpeerreviewed study from the United Kingdom. The study led by researchers from Public Health England PHE and published yesterday on a preprint server compared the rate of vaccination in symptomatic people older than 70 who tested positive for coronavirus with that of those who werent vaccinated from Dec 8 2020 to Feb 19 2021. A total of 44590 participants with available vaccination data tested positive for COVID19 while 112340 tested negative. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/03/pfizer-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccines-may-offer-high-efficacy-elderly 2nd Mar 2021

Vaccine hesitancy takes many forms

Reuters Ukrainian medical facilities have thrown away some unused COVID19 vaccines after doctors failed to show up for their own appointments to be vaccinated ruling party lawmakers said on Monday. Ukraine has just begun vaccinating its 41 million people against COVID19 after receiving a first batch of 500000 doses of Indianmade AstraZeneca shots last week but faces a battle against vaccine scepticism that predates the pandemic. The government has prioritised giving shots to frontline medical workers but cited statistics showing that 47 of Ukrainians do not want the vaccine. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ukraine/ukraine-throws-away-unused-covid-19-shots-as-doctors-skip-their-own-vaccinations-idUKKCN2AT2EY 2nd Mar 2021

Vaccine hesitancy takes many forms

Daily Mail A third of all military personnel in the U.S. are refusing to take the COVID19 vaccine and in some units just 30 of enlistees are willing to have a shot according to a new report. The figure is alarming commanders as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the United States. Personnel who refuse the vaccine will face no repercussions due to a federal law that prohibits the mandatory application of medicines within the military that are not fully licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration The Nation reports. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9316827/A-military-personnel-refusing-receive-COVID-19-vaccine.html 2nd Mar 2021

Vaccine hesitancy takes many forms

Sky News Twitter is expanding its use of warning labels targeting tweets that contain misleading details about coronavirus vaccines. The decision has been made to strengthen the social networks existing COVID19 guidance which has led to the removal of more than 8400 tweets and challenged 11.5 million accounts worldwide. Labels providing additional context are already attached to tweets with disputed information about the pandemic. However this is the first time the firm has focused on posts about vaccines specifically. Twitter said it is starting a strike system that determines when further enforcement action is necessary. https://news.sky.com/story/twitter-expands-warning-labels-to-target-misleading-covid-vaccine-posts-12233116 2nd Mar 2021

Vaccine hesitancy takes many forms

Reuters Disgruntled with President Jair Bolsonaros handling of a pandemic in its most severe phase 16 Brazilian governors accused the farright leader of misleading the country and state authorities urged a nationwide curfew and closure of airports. A year after Brazils COVID19 outbreak began it has killed over 255000 Brazilians and yet little more than 3 of the 210 million population has been vaccinated raising criticism of Bolsonaro for failing to secure timely supplies of vaccines. Last week was the deadliest yet for Brazils outbreak averaging nearly 1200 confirmed deaths per day according to Health Ministry data. Intensive care units in the countrys main cities have reached critical occupancy levels not seen since the first peak of the pandemic last July. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-brazil/brazilian-states-blast-bolsonaro-over-pandemic-during-worst-phase-yet-idUSL2N2KZ1SO 2nd Mar 2021

British South Asians suffer heavy toll as coronavirus surges

Al Jazeera English In the UK more than 135000 people have passed away with COVID19 on their death certificates since the start of the pandemic. Britains ethnic minorities particularly those of Bangladeshi Black Caribbean or Pakistani origin have been disproportionately affected in terms of exposure to the virus with some communities witnessing far higher rates of hospitalisation and deaths. In August last year Public Health England found that in the first wave people of Bangladeshi descent were twice as likely to die from COVID19 than white Britons while people of Indian and Pakistani origin were between 10 and 50 percent more likely to die. According to a February report by the Office for National Statistics There was a reduction of COVID19 mortality during the second wave of the pandemic in most of the ethnic groups while the higher rates continued in men and women from Bangladeshi and Pakistani background. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/3/2/in-the-uk-muslims-funeral-customs-have-been-upended-by-covid 2nd Mar 2021